Indiana Coalition for Open Government | Know your rights. Know the laws. Act.

Indiana Debate Commission: Governor candidates to participate in televised debate on October 24, 2024

The Republican, Democratic, and Libertarian candidates for Indiana governor have agreed to meet Oct. 24 in a televised debate organized by the Indiana Debate Commission. The debate among Mike Braun (R), Jennifer McCormick (D), and Donald Rainwater (L) will be broadcast live at 7-8 p.m. EDT from...

WRTV Indianapolis: School board member aims to boost transparency after filing her own complaint

Kenney, Kara. 2023. School board member aims to boost transparency after filing her own complaint. WRTV. June 16, 2023. A West Lafayette mother and school board member is aiming to improve transparency and the public’s access to information. Click on the image to play the video.

IndyStar: Neighbors’ relief turns to anger as bar is OK’d: El Chila’s license was denied, then extended

Cook, Tony. 2023. Neighbors' relief turns to anger as bar is OK'd: El chila's license was denied, then extended. Indianapolis Star, Apr 09, 2023. Last month, the Indiana Alcohol & Tobacco Commission used a new policy intended to crack down on problem bars to deny a liquor license extension to...

The Indiana Citizen: Moonlighting: Rokita fights court order to release report on his private employment — even though it allows him to redact as much as he wants.

Marilyn Odendahl. 2023. The Indiana Citizen: Moonlighting: Rokita fights court order to release report on his private employment — even though it allows him to redact as much as he wants. The Indiana Citizen. March 9, 2023 One day after being sworn in as Attorney General in January 2021, Todd...

IndyStar sues 8 hospitals for records violations: Claim: Public spending on nursing homes obscured

Magdaleno, Johnny. 2022. IndyStar sues 8 hospitals for records violations: Claim: Public spending on nursing homes obscured. Indianapolis Star, Aug 10, 2022. (accessed August 11, 2022). Eight Indiana hospitals are violating state records laws by withholding information on how they are spending...

News from Indiana

Dear Governor Holcomb: Veto HEA 1338

Mar 11, 2024

Dear Governor Holcomb, Veto HEA 1338. I hope this message finds you in good health and spirits. My name is Zachary Baiel and I proudly serve as President of the Indiana Coalition for Open Government, a network of citizens, journalists, academics, and open government...

The Indiana Capital Chronicle: Public access counselor bill fails on process and policy

Mar 8, 2024

Niki Kelly. 2024-03-08. Indiana Capital Chronicle. Indiana’s public records law opens like this: “A fundamental philosophy of the American constitutional form of representative government is that government is the servant of the people and not their master....

The Indiana Citizen: LIMITED ROLE: Amendments restricting public access counselor passed as bill advances in Indiana Senate

Mar 4, 2024

Marilyn Odendahl. 2024-03-04. The Indiana Citizen. A bill allowing local government officials to remove disruptive individuals from public meetings has been expanded to include new limits on the Indiana public access counselor’s ability to offer guidance about the...

News from ICOG

Pro-Tips for Sharpening Your Requests: 22-FC-91: Alleged Violation of the Access to Public Records Act by St. Joseph County

Aug 21, 2022

[This is taken from our newsletter, Open Doors. You can learn more and subscribe here: https://icog.substack.com] ✏️ Pro-Tips for Sharpening Your Requests ICOG highlights interesting Public Access Counselor opinions and other tips provided by the open government...

Subscribe to ICOG’s substack newsletter, Open Doors

Nov 28, 2021

The Indiana Coalition for Open Government has started a substack newsletter, Open Doors. We release an issue about once a month and it covers news, data, and tips for making public records requests. Want to read? You can subscribe below. Want to write? Get in touch....

Supporting: Letter to Biden White House on open government

Feb 17, 2021

What other questions would you like to see answered by the Biden administration and their positions regarding open government? Thanks to work of Governing.Digital, we have an initial set of 25 questions included in a Letter to the White House. The core questions from...

All the News

Route Fifty: Access to public records is ‘deteriorating terribly’

Oct 31, 2023

Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene. 2023. Access to public records is 'deteriorating terribly'. Route Fifty, October 31st, 2023. Back in May, at the recommendation of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the state legislature made a change to its public records laws,...

CFOIC report: Colorado should bar public officials’ use of disappearing messaging apps for official business

Jul 20, 2023

Colorado should enact legislation like a 2021 Michigan statute that outlaws the use of disappearing messaging apps in state government, but the language should be broadened to affect all state and local officials, a law student’s report prepared for the Colorado...

Bloomberg: Meet the Man (Jason Leopold) Who Sues the Government for Information

Jul 20, 2023

Jason Leopold is an investigative journalist at Bloomberg News who aggressively uses the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to push for greater transparency and hold power to account. His document-based reporting has led to countless scoops, federal investigations and...

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